There's a sad goodbye and new arrivals in Ballykissangel: Quigley, the irrepressible entrepreneur has departed suddenly, but Australian priest, Father Vincent Sheahan, has joined the fold and is soon learning the ways of t... more &raquohe villagers. From Dermot's online confessional (which is promptly stopped from a mysterious email from God!) to a surprise takeover at the pub, and further shenanigans with Liam and Donal, there's every reason to return to the idyllic village.&laquo less

Movie Reviews

BallyK tries to move on after Tony Doyle's passing.

tendays komyathy | U.S.A. & elsewhere traveling | 06/04/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"What sort of person are you? Do you relish variety or prefer the TV shows, musical artists, actresses you like to be recognizably the same over their runs, careers? The answer to that will determine whether you relish the changes introduced for series six of Ballykissangel, as the following exit the show: Sean Dillon (Lorcan Cranitch), Emma Dillon (Kate McEnery), Father Aidan O'Connell (Don Wycherley), Orla O'Connell (Victoria Smurfit), Danny Byrne (Colin Farrell), and Brian Quigley (Tony Doyle) who, arguably, was the franchise character and driving force of the entire show. Mr. Doyle passed away in January of 2000, just after the last episode of the fifth year of BallyK was broadcast (in December of 1999). There were no more episodes of BallyK until the spring of 2001 at which time series six (the first of 8 episodes) began to be broadcast. Item one of this final year thus was explaining the absence of Brian Quigley, dealing with that and then trying to move on without this central character. Of course, it's still BallyK and a welcoming program to watch, but at one and the same time, not the same anymore without the fulcrum (raison d'être even), of the whole program.

Episode Five - Paul Dooley Sleeps with the FishesA stranger in town turns out to be from Avril's past. And the famous Fitzgerald's Bar might be in for a name change.

Episode Six - In a JamVincent is in charge of this year's parish fête and something appears to be bothering Siobhan.

Episode Seven - Getting Better all the TimeAn old friend of Vincent's arrives in Ballykissangel and Liam and Donal have to decide what to do with Quigley's money.

Episode Eight - Smoke SignalsFather Mac confronts Vincent when he finds out that Lyn and Barry are married."

Good, but incomplete

T. Moxley | VA United States | 12/18/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thought the writers did a great job dealing with the changes. I was suprised when I came to the end of disc 2 however, that there seemed to be no real ending. It just trails off and leaves you wondering what happens to father mac and other characters."

Darker side of Bally K

C. J. Calbick | Lincoln City,Oregon | 04/14/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I love this series,but this Series 6 has taken a deeper look into life in Bally K. Some new characters showed up with no explanation of their reason to be in town. One of the things I really liked was being able to follow characters through the series. I am sorry to see the demise of Ballykissangel,but I will remember it as an intimate peek into the life of a small Irish town,and it's folks. Wonderful cast members,and totally believable."

The last season. A pleasant surprise.

Frank Jellison | Salem, OR | 05/16/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"

I had no plans to watch season 6 after the end of season 5. I was very tired of the antics of Donnal and Liam which seemed to be more and more of each program. I also cringed every time Uncle Minto made an appearance. I knew that many of the characters were just going to disappear without any kind of acknowledgement and felt that the wedding at the end of Season 5 would make good break with the series.

In the end I'm very happy that I decided to watch season 6 as I enjoyed it very much. The new curate, Father Vincent is a great character. Unlike his predecessors , Peter and Aidan, he is not intimidated by Father Mac and won't be bullied by the older priest. He even stands up to the bishop who is far worse that Father Mac. Father Vincent has his shortcomings, which makes him believable, but he is a good central character for the show.

They did a good job of giving the Brian Quigley character a sendoff, in spite of the death of actor Tony Doyle. This was an improvement over the way the Eamonn character was quickly written out of the show when actor Birdy Sweeney passed away.

Some new characters, especially Avril, are interesting and add to the series. On the other had, Louie, who speaks with an unintelligible accent, even Brendan can't understand him, is very annoying.

There is no "final episode" which happens in many other series. Former cast members do not make one final appearance nor do dead characters appear in people's dreams. The last scene, which takes place in Fitzgerald's, was a perfect way to end the series. It was as if there are more stories to be told. "